Melonas is Deputy Forest Supervisor of the National Forests in North Carolina

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Contact(s): Media Contact: (404) 347-4116


ATLANTA (March 31, 2015) – James Melonas is the new deputy forest supervisor of the National Forests in North Carolina. He recently relocated from New Mexico to Asheville, N.C., after serving four years as the New Mexico state liaison for the Southwestern Region of the U.S. Forest Service.
 
James Melonas“The National Forests in North Carolina are an incredible resource and I am honored to be able to work with all the great partners and communities that treasure these lands,” he said. “My family and I are excited to be in North Carolina.”
 
His career with the Forest Service began in the Forest Service Chief’s Office as a Presidential Management Fellow. Melonas implemented special projects for the chief and associate chief and worked in the press office.
 
Melonas also worked on the Forest Stewardship Program, the Open Space Conservation Strategy and forestry provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill while assigned to the Cooperative Forestry staff in the Washington Office.
 
“James has worked very successfully with diverse public interests and stakeholders and has advanced collaborative approaches in carrying out the Forest Service mission,” Regional Forester Tony Tooke said. “We are excited to have him join Forest Supervisor Kristin Bail and her team at the National Forests in North Carolina. He’s also a great addition to our Regional Leadership Team here in the Southern Region.”
 
Melonas holds a Master of Public Affairs degree with emphasis on environmental policy and natural resource management from the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
 
Before starting with the Forest Service, he was a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer for two years on a national park in Malawi.
 
Melonas and his wife Margee Haines, who also works for the Forest Service, have a one‐year‐old son, Orrin. Melonas enjoys playing guitar, hiking and exploring new places with his family.
 
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